Motorists face significantly higher costs at the pumps this Easter after petrol prices climbed above 150p per litre for the first time since May 2024, with diesel forecast to reach a fresh milestone within days.
Figures from RAC Fuel Watch put the average price of unleaded at 150.11p per litre, representing a rise of more than 17p in under four weeks. Diesel has climbed further still, averaging 177.68p — a jump of 35.3p, or nearly 25 per cent, since the end of February.
The RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, described the 150p threshold as an “unwelcome” development and cautioned that further increases were likely in the near term, with diesel expected to breach 180p within days.
Drivers planning to travel over the Easter bank holiday weekend face particularly sharp costs on motorway routes, where unleaded is averaging 166p per litre and diesel 182p, according to the RAC. Mr Williams said those undertaking long journeys would need to “plan very carefully” where they stop to refuel, and recommended using price comparison apps such as myRAC and PetrolPrices to locate cheaper options.
The sharpest prices recorded in the country are concentrated at remote and motorway locations. Government Fuel Finder data compiled by GB News shows unleaded reaching as high as 184.9p at EG Rivington South in Bolton, with several motorway service stations across England — including sites in Wolverhampton, West Yorkshire and Wiltshire — charging 181.9p.
Diesel prices are most acute in rural Scotland, where MBS Building and Timber Supplies on the Isle of Arran is currently charging 217p per litre, the highest recorded in the country. Two further outlets in the Scottish Highlands are pricing diesel above 211p.
Despite the current increases, prices remain some way below the record highs seen in the summer of 2022, when petrol regularly exceeded £1.90 per litre and some motorway forecourts charged as much as £2.30 for diesel.
With the four-day Easter weekend approaching, the RAC has urged drivers to avoid motorway service stations where possible and to fill up at supermarket forecourts, which typically offer the most competitive rates.
